The Folate Content of ½ Cup Cooked Dried Beans
Bean Folate (mcg)
Black beans 129
Chickpeas 191
Kidney beans canned 65
Navy beans 128
Pinto beans 147Source: USDA Nutrient Database: http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/cgibin/nut_search.pl, Nutritive Value
of Foods, Home and Gardens Bulletin No. 72 (USDA, 1989).The Most Nutritious Way to Serve This Food
Cooked, to destroy antinutrients.
With grains. The proteins in grains are deficient in the essential amino acids lysine and
isoleucine but contain sufficient tryptophan, methionine, and cystine; the proteins in beans
are exactly the opposite. Together, these foods provide “complete” proteins.
With an iron-rich food (meat) or with a vitamin C-rich food (tomatoes). Both enhance
your body’s ability to use the iron in the beans. The meat makes your stomach more acid
(acid favors iron absorption); the vitamin C may convert the ferric iron in beans into ferrous
iron, which is more easily absorbed by the body.
Diets That May Restrict or Exclude This Food
Low-calcium diet
Low-fiber diet
Low-purine (antigout) diet
Buying This Food
Look for: Smooth-skinned, uniformly sized, evenly colored beans that are free of stones
and debris. The good news about beans sold in plastic bags is that the transparent material
gives you a chance to see the beans inside; the bad news is that pyridoxine and pyridoxal,
the natural forms of vitamin B 6 , are very sensitive to light.
Avoid: Beans sold in bulk. Some B vitamins, such as vitamin B 6 (pyridoxine and pyridoxal),
are very sensitive to light. In addition, open bins allow insects into the beans, indicated by
tiny holes showing where the bug has burrowed into or through the bean. If you choose to
buy in bulk, be sure to check for smooth skinned, uniformly sized, evenly colored beans free
of holes, stones, and other debris.
Beans